Like many other collectors, I have items in my collection that I've never publicly shown or discussed. Items I've been hesitant to let anyone know are out there, and with good reasoning since these are the sort of items that could warrant unwanted pressure to sell or in the worst case scenario a break in. Trouble is, despite my tight lips and reluctance I still experienced a massive theft. A theft that included a few very rare pieces I will never be able to replace. Thankfully my modest Micro Collection preproduction collection, which is closest to my heart, remains intact...

Earlier this year, while working on Night At The Museum my wife and I found a house we simply needed to buy. A house large enough for me to have a full level to display my collection. I've never had more than a room so my entire collection has never been on display all at once. Trouble is, once we signed the deal we realized we were going to have to trust a moving company to store our stuff for two weeks. This is not ideal for the average family, but for a Star Wars collector it is a very stressful situation. When working on a film, I'm locked to at least 12 hour work days, and then I come home to photograph toys. Since I have to factor in family time and sleep, I don't really have the time or energy to focus on additional problems. With no time and a collection the size of mine, there really wasn't much I could do about it other than trust the movers and make sure I was insured.

Fast forward two weeks, and to my horror up to fifteen boxes were missing. The loss has greatly exceeded the insured value and as such I've had to put in mind what I value most of what is left and what I can live without in order to attempt to rebuild my collection. The choice was pretty obvious. Two of the items I'm going to let go of have some very serious significance to the Hasbro line. since I'm going to sell them I figured I'd share them with you here first. Take into account that these are pretty old now, so some of the details are a bit blurry. I'll do my best to provide the facts as accurately as possible...

First, let it be said for those that don't know me personally, revisiting the classic Kenner era is something I've spent a lot time bending ears about for a very long time, so when Hasbro went to the brand's roots for inspiration I was there beating the drum for more.


Back in 2003 Hasbro created handmade mock ups to pitch The Vintage Original Trilogy Collection to Lucasfilm. Ultimately, the concept was approved and the line went on to produce many of the most endearing assortments in the brand's nineteen year history. Both of these mock ups use, what I can only guess to be, production figures that were kicking around the Hasbro office put on mock up cards. The Farmboy Luke Skywalker has a vacc-molded blister heat sealed on to a single-sided card back. It was presented in a hand crafted clamshell with a handmade VOTC insert. The Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot is on a double-sided 20bk card. The front is a 20bkB and the back a 20bkC. The handmade blister was applied to a printed card with an additional print affixed on top to conceal the how the blister is attached. As far as I know, these are the only two examples in existence.